1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to display devices for holding articles in a predetermined pattern, and more particularly to a display device for retaining coin holders, the display device being in the form of an album page. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a display device for arranging and releasably retaining articles in the form of coin certification encasements, popularly known as "slabs".
2. Description of the Prior Art
Over the years, grading and certification of coins has become a standardized procedure. According to this procedure, coin collectors send their coins to dealers, who in turn prepare the necessary paperwork and then send the coin to a certification service where the coin is graded and certified. The certification service assigns a number to the coin, grades the coin through independent graders, and then places the coin and a ticket bearing its registration number and grade into a coin certification encasement, popularly called a "slab". The slab is a clear plastic holder of rectangular shape that has been sonically welded into a tamper-proof encasement for the coin. The plastic is clear and provides easy view of the coin and its registration number, while preventing environmental damage to the coin, as well as preventing tampering. Examples of certification services which provide slabs are: Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) of Newport Beach, Calif.; Numismatic Guaranty Corporation of America (NGC) of Parsippany, NJ; American Numistic Association Grading Service (ANACS) of Columbus, Ohio; Numistic Certification Institute (NCI) of Dallas, Tex.; Compugrade of Metairie, La.; Accugrade of Stamford, Conn.; International Numistic Grading Services of Philadelphia, Pa.; and Photo-Certified Coin Institute (PCI) of Chattanooga, Tenn. The present invention pertains to a display device for the slabs made by these and other certification services.
For purposes of displaying coins, it is very convenient to provide a display device in the form of a "page" which arranges the coins in a predetermined pattern across the page. The pages assemble into an album, which may then be utilized for presentation purposes with other collectors.
In the prior art, there are several types of display devices for coins.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,732 to Peterson, dated Oct. 21, 1975, discloses a display page for coins in which coins are arranged in a symmetric pattern on the page. The page is constructed of three plastic sheets, with recesses into which the coins are inserted. A band connected with an uppermost sheet holds the coins in place. The bottom sheet is clear, so the coins can be seen on both sides. This device suffers from the disadvantage that coins must be placed directly into the recesses; coins do not have their own holder which would serve to protect them from the environment and tampering.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,399 to Fries, dated Sept. 6, 1983, discloses a display device composed of two rigid clear plastic sheets that overlay a number of coin recesses that are arranged in a predetermined pattern. The two plastic sheets are held together by screws. This device suffers from the disadvantage of extremely difficult accessibility to the coins when the collector wishes to modify the collection. Also, the coins are not protected in certified coin encasements (slabs).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,477 to Deese, dated Aug. 23, 1977, discloses a coin holder which is specially constructed for being connected with other coin holders by interlock members. A page of coin holders can thereby be constructed for purposes of use in an album. This device suffers from the need to use specially constructed coin holders which are not certified coin encasements (slabs).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,688 to Grant, dated May 31, 1983, discloses a display device in the shape of an album page, having a plurality of apertures. Each aperture is structured to receive a coin holder. The walls of each aperture and the coin holder are specially shaped so as to cooperate together to retain the coin holder with respect to the aperture. The cooperation is disclosed as being in the form of a groove to rib interconnection, tapered extension to tapered slot interconnection, or flange interconnection.
While the patent to Grant is closest to solving the problem of providing a display device for slabs, it suffers from the requirement that there be a particular structural cooperation between the display device and the coin holder. This requirement necessitates that only specially structured coin holders can be used with the Grant display device, not certified coin encasements (slabs).
Accordingly, what remains needed is a display device for arranging and releasably retaining slabs.